Bible Text: Hebrews 10:35 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: Engage: Do All In The Name Of The Lord Jesus
Believe In The Amazing Power That Is In You – The Power Of The Holy Spirit
Hebrews 10:32-34 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
The Church Is Becoming Less Confident In The Power Of The Holy Spirit!
Engage!
As Followers of Yahweh we are ENGAGED BY THE Power of the HOLY SPIRIT and with the CONFIDENCE that the Lord will always come through
Remembering past faithfulness should encourage us to persevere in our faith: Don’t ever forget those early days when we first learned about Christ.
The Greek word for “struggle” is athlesis, which is our word for “athletics”
Perseverance
As Christians we are choosing to live a life that requires faithful perseverance
Success in any athletic game as in life is our attitude and our perseverance!
When we get hit or knocked down we have two choices
GIVE UP OR GET UP
The Enemy Of Our Confidence Are Our Insecurities!
Inequality/Comparison
This is where we draw a contrast of ourselves to others and rate our achievements against others. Danger: we ignore our unique role that we and others play on the team
The Vineyard Workers in Matthew 20: 1-16 insecure people will (John 21:21-22)
Ignore God’s grace because they were preoccupied with the status of others
Grumble and complain about perceived inequities; unfairness; equability
Judge others as less worthy of God’s blessing
Assume they deserve more, because their focus is on their work, not God’s
Forget that all reward and blessing is due to the grace of God
Power/Control
In order to validate our own worth, we attempt to take charge, protect our interests and monopolize situations. Danger: we think win-lose, not win-win. Because we’re attempting to chart our own course, we risk integrity to protect personal turf
Sarah in Genesis 16:1-6 Struggled with insecurity (Jeremiah 29:11-13):
Feeling that God is inattentive, absent, or even against her
Allowing our circumstances/feelings determine our understanding of God’s character and attributes
Seeing everything in life as “scarce” rather than “abundant”
Becoming self-seeking and manipulative
Feeling intimidated, dealing with others through intimidation
Resenting the success of others, possibly turning on them in anger
Frequently blaming others
Suffering from a “martyr” syndrome
Remember!
Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded
Do not cast away your confidence; that is, do not abandon your faith in times of struggle, but show by your endurance that your faith is genuine and sincere.
Faith means REMEMBERING what the Lord has done in the past and then trust Him for what He will do in the present and in the future (Romans 8:12-25; Galatians 3:10-13).
Remember The Benefits Of Standing Firm Living For The Lord
Hebrews 10:36  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the result of a devoted life
The Holy Spirit came to the rescue!
Get real…get right and get moving…let ME refresh you and build you back up.